


Dwori - Week 4

by charliechick117



Series: Dwori Week [5]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliechick117/pseuds/charliechick117
Summary: Yet another week of Dwalin/Ori inspired drabbles.





	1. Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, week 3 isn't done, but I like the prompts in week 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a character who becomes deaf.
> 
> I am not deaf and have little experience with it. If I have done anything offensive or insensitive, please accept my apologies and let me know how I can keep this work as welcoming and accurate as possible.

On Ori's 16th birthday his soul mark didn't come in.  He tried not to feel disappointed in it.  His brothers had their soul marks, cryptic sentences twisted across their skin.  Dori had already met his soulmate - going slow and steady like traditional couples.  Ori looked down at his bare skin and bit back hot tears.  Was he never going to meet his soulmate?  Maybe he didn't have one?

It didn't bear thinking about and Ori turned off the light in his little bedroom and crawled into his bed.

He spent the next five years hiding his lack of soul mark from everyone.  When he went to college, he avoided living in the dorms so he could shower in peace.  If anyone asked about it he just said it was hidden underneath his layers of clothes.  He devoted his time into soul research at school, studying the Unmarked and what the future held for him.

Nori found his soulmate, a construction worker he met in his bar.  Dori was planning a wedding.  And Ori was still alone.

He graduated with a useless psychology degree, a handle on soul research and sign language, and moved across the country for grad school.  Nori moved in with his boyfriend.  Dori and his wife had twins.  Ori kept himself covered with sweaters and long pants and stopped looking at the mirror for words that were never going to appear.

It was raining in Boston and Ori was on his way to his little apartment on his bicycle.  His hood was up tight and his headphones were blaring.  The roads were slick and the car skidded.

Right into Ori.

He felt the collision on his left side.  Ori's leg snapped and he felt himself fly across the street.  He bounced, cracking his head on the cement and his vision went black.  He skidded on the tarmac, skin tearing and clothes ripping.  The rain kept pouring and Ori was freezing on one side and burning up on the other.  People were running to him, lights were flashing and Ori's vision flickered.

The last thing he heard was a ringing in his ears.

 

Ori hated the hospital.  It had been three days and he was already getting bored.  His leg was broken but healing.  The road rash was all but gone, leaving him with some awful scars all up his right side.  His concussion was probably going to bother him for a long time but he was certain he could manage on his own.  He wanted to go back home, not to his apartment in Boston, but back home in Nebraska with Dori.  He would take being in Nevada with Nori at this point.

His nurse came in, a little blonde thing, with a smile and dinner.

<I talked to the doctor,> she signed slowly.  <You'll be released tomorrow.>

Ori brightened up.  <Really?>

<The doctor is sending you someone to help.>

Ori groaned, even though he couldn't hear it.

<He's a certified nurse, knows sign language, and is trained in physical therapy,> his nurse scolded, her hands moving so fast he was struggling to keep up.  <With your concussion, broken leg, and sudden deafness, you need the help, Ori.>

He wondered what her voice sounded like.  If it was soft or rough.  The pitch and accent of the words in her mouth.  He wanted desperately to hear the sound of the beeping of the machines he was attached to.  He wanted to hear the hum of the air conditioning and the buzz of the television.  He wanted to hear his nieces laugh, hear Nori's wedding vows, but he couldn't.

There was a smack on his arm and Ori snapped himself together.  The nurse smiled gently down on him.

<That's why you need help,> she signed.

Ori nodded and said "fine" even though he couldn't hear it, could barely feel the vibrations in this throat.

The man who was going to be his live-in nurse was not what Ori was expecting.  He was tall, thick, and bearded, and threatened to carry Ori down to the car if he didn't use his crutches.  They drove to Ori's apartment in silence, it was too dangerous to sign while driving.  Ori was going to have to learn to live like this, to live with a stranger in silence.  Once home, Ori made his introductions to his new roommate.  The nurse had thick fingers that were nimble as he signed to Ori what he would be doing.

<My name is Dwalin.  I'm just helping you get back on your feet,> he signed.  <Your concussion is going to make you forgetful and your broken leg makes it hard for you to move.  And with being deaf ->

"I know!" Ori shouted, tearing at his throat, disoriented without his hearing he kept shouting.  "I know I'll be forgetting things.  I know that I can't walk and I know that I'll never hear again and it's tearing me apart inside because my entire life is upside down!"

Dwalin took a step back, his blue eyes wide.  His lips moved and Ori thought about reading them but was too angry to care.  Dwalin shook his head and lifted up his hands, signing slowly, almost soothingly.

<I'm sorry, Ori, I really am.  I will do whatever I can to help you.>

 

It took time.  Weeks to months and Dwalin became a fixture in Ori's life.  Ori started to learn how to live without hearing.  He walked with a limp and had a nice scar on his leg from where the car hit him.  Nori visited him once with Bofur, both of them with smiles and halting sign language.  Ori cried for hours after they had left.  Dori couldn't make it, his wife in the hospital going through labor for their third child.

Living with Dwalin was surprisingly easy once they had a routine.  The man was gentle and soft in the apartment, cooking dinner and helping Ori fine tune his sign language.  When they stood close together Ori could feel the laughter in Dwalin's chest and he desperately wanted to hear it.  He knew that Dwalin had a soul mark, wrapped in fine letters around his thigh that he kept covered.

And Ori wanted to see it.  He was Unmarked, he could say those words, lie to Dwalin and be his soulmate.

Sometimes it didn't bear thinking about.

Dwalin sat down next to Ori in his boxers, tapping on Ori's knee.

<The show any good?> he asked.

Ori shook his head.  <It's cheesy and poorly written.>

Dwalin's laugh shook the couch and he wrapped his hand around Ori's thigh, warm and hot.  Ori bit his lip and turned to Dwalin.

<Dwalin... can I see your soul mark?>

Dwalin tightened his hand on Ori's knee.  He signed a single word: <Why?>

<I don't have one,> Ori shrugged, playing it off as curious.  <It's the first things your soulmate says, isn't it?"

Dwalin nodded.  Slowly he lifted up the hem of his boxers and Ori could see the fine print on Dwalin's leg.  It was small and Ori had to lean in close to read the words.  He tried not to think about how compromising it was that he was leaning down to Dwalin's thighs.

_I know!  I know I'll be forgetting things.  I know that I can't walk and I know that I'll never hear again and it's tearing me apart inside because my entire life is upside down!_

Ori's heart leaped in his chest, all the way to his throat.  Those were the words he shouted in anger months ago.  The last words he ever spoke and the first words he said to Dwalin.  He couldn't even sign his disbelief, his throat making noises beyond his hearing.

<You're my soulmate,> Dwalin signed.  <You are Unmarked because you'll never hear my voice.  But you are my soulmate.  I've known that since I first came home with you.>

Tears slipped down his face and Ori found himself straddling Dwalin's legs and resting his hands on Dwalin's face.  He wanted to say something, wanted to hear Dwalin's deep rumbling voice.  He wanted it so badly, to hear the laughter that rumbled across Dwalin's chest.

 

<You think this'll work?> Ori signed as they waited in the doctor's office.

Dwalin nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Ori's head.

The doctor came in with fancy hearing aids and a wide grin.  He put them into Ori's ears, turned them on, and waited.

There was static and then soft humming.  Ori looked up at the doctor then over at Dwalin.

"Is it working?"

Ori gasped and stared straight at Dwalin.  This was it.  This was the moment he was going to finally hear Dwalin's voice.  After years of pining and dreaming he would hear the voice of his soulmate.

"Dwalin?" Ori almost jumped at the sound of his voice.  Had it always been this high pitched?  So thin and weedy sounding, shaky and rough with disuse.

Carefully, Dwalin stood up and cradled Ori's face in his hands.

"I love you, my darling."

Something seared across the skin behind his ear.  Ori yanked up his phone and turned on the camera.  Twisting around he tried to catch a look behind his ear.  In a thin, elegant script were those words.  Ori pulled Dwalin down for a kiss and cried.


	2. Sun and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (and moon)

Dwalin first saw Ori underneath the stars.  He was scouting outside the Blue Mountains on a cold, moonless night.  He first thought that Ori was lost, stumbling out in the snow, covered in knitwear.  But as he came closer he noticed that Ori wasn't lost, but drawing.

It was so peculiar to see a dwarf outside the mountain, fingers bared to the biting wind and his face wrapped up in a scarf so only his eyes were visible.  Dwalin crept up as silently as he could and saw a deer in the snow with a little fawn tucked beside her.

And Ori, with blue and shaking fingers, was drawing the scene.  The stars glittered and gave faint light to the scene.  It was still and muted and soft.  Ori sighed and Dwalin swore that he saw the stars rest in his hair.

It was late and Dwalin knew he needed to go back to the mountain but he didn't want to ruin this magical moment.

A wolf howled and the deer sprinted off.  Still shivering, Ori tucked his notebook away and shoved his gloves back on.

 

The second time Dwalin saw Ori was in the brilliant sunlight.  They took a small group to the Shire for diplomatic reasons that Dwalin didn't bother looking into.  The Shire was perpetually sunny, covered with meadows of flowers and fields of produce and tons of laughing hobbits.

And one laughing dwarf.

Outside of his knits, Ori was rather fetching.  His narrow frame was thick with wiry muscle as he ran with hobbit children in fields of flowers.  The bright sun caught the ribbons in his hair and made his eyes sparkle.

Dwalin felt his chest tighten at the sight.  Something about seeing Ori interacting with children in the sunlight made something domestic grow in him.  As he watched Ori fling one of the kids laughing into the air, Dwalin knew he was absolutely smitten.

 

In the middle of the night, underneath a full moon, Dwalin ran into Ori again.  The entire area was bathed in pale blue light and Ori's skin glowed in the light.  He had cornered Dwalin in the gardens outside the mountain.

"Hello, Dwalin."

"Hello."

Ori bit his lip, eyes downcast and eyelashes casting dark shadows on his cheek.  "I was hoping to ask permission to court you."

"You don't need to ask," Dwalin cupped Ori's cheek, admiring the moonlight in Ori's eyes.  "My heart is yours."

Ori smiled and allowed Dwalin to pull him up for a kiss.


	3. Zombie Apocalypse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I recently marathoned all of The Hobbit, twice, and suddenly got super back into this ship and just writing in general.
> 
> I've been busy fandom hopping, and moving, and working (oops).

The safe house was easily the pinnacle of civilization in a twenty mile radius.  While the zombie outbreak had lessened over the course of ten years, it was still dangerous to travel outside of the safe houses.  Ori had spent almost half his life in the Blue Mountain Safe House, locked safely away while his brothers went out on scavenging runs.

It was surprisingly boring life.  There were literal zombies out in the world, quick moving, hungry for blood, zombies, and Ori didn't remember any of it.  He had been twelve when the zombie outbreak started and ten years of a quiet life faded those memories to oblivion.  But he knew the dangers of the Outside.  He'd seen Dori limp home with his leg in a splint.  He'd watched as Nori screamed while getting stitches across his arm where a zombie almost got him.

Ori had desperately wanted to go out with his brothers, wanted to help find food and supplies for their little home.

But everyone in the Blue Mountain Safe House had their place.  Ori's place was to stay home and teach the children.  His brothers' place was to go out and scavenge.

Currently, Ori was expected to make arrangements for their hosts from the Erebor Safe House, far to the north.  They were coming to trade supplies and secure the path between the two safe houses.  It would be Thorin, the son of the self-proclaimed mayor, and his friend, Dwalin, their best fighter.

"It's just not fair!" Ori slammed his hands on their makeshift table.  Nori had scavenged a piece of plywood years ago and Dori whittled the legs for it when he had spare time.  It wobbled underneath of Ori's palms and Dori hissed.  "There are plenty of other capable survivors here, why does it have to be me?"

"Because you're diplomatic," Nori explained, pointing at him with his spoon.  "The rest of us?  We're fighters.  Nothing better than mercs, honestly.  You got all that book learning after all.  And you're pretty much the closest thing we got to someone born in the city.  Not a survivor, or scavenger, but a civilian."

"Don't say it like that," Ori groaned.  "Makes me sound boring."

"It makes you sound like a civilian," Dori explained.  "Which is what we need.  Now shut up, sit down, and eat your dinner."

Ori groaned but complied, pulling his bowl of soup towards him and sitting on the small box that was his chair.  His knees knocked against the table, nearly upending the whole thing.  Nori straightened it before it could fall over.  He grinned at Ori before scooping up his pack and slinging his gun over his back.

"I'll be back before the dignitaries arrive," he promised.  "Gotta grab some more medicine from the city.  Bombur's little one has the cough again."

"Be careful," Dori cautioned.  "Make sure you have enough ammo this time!"

"Don't worry," Nori winked.  "Bofur's coming with me."

Dori surged up from his chair (an upside down basket) and did flip the table off its legs.  "You  _what_?!"

Ori chuckled into his soup and opened up his notebook.  It was a rarity, something that Dori had found, miraculously, in a nearby home.  Each page was used sparingly, each one more precious than the last.  He had a rough, hand drawn map on the first page, followed by a list of safe houses and their distance from each other.  He had used up almost half a dozen pages cataloging the people in the Blue Mountain Safe House, names, ages, families, and so on.

On his most recent page was a careful list of things required to play nice with the Erebor representatives.  He had a carefully constructed list of foods for the welcoming dinner, a synopsis on what supplies they could spare, and a list of questions to ask.  Winters up at the Erebor Safe House were brutal, blocking almost all their roads but also preventing them from zombie attacks.

They would be here by tomorrow night and Ori had to be ready.

 

The Blue Mountain Safe House was the size of a large subdivision.  The houses were converted to hold multiple families and all were connected by a series of catwalks from roof to roof.  Some homes became stores and merchants, places to sell items useful in the Outside, like weapons and bandages.  In the center was a large building, the city hall of sorts.

It was in that building that Ori waited.  He smoothed his hands down his clothes, nothing special really, just a short sleeve shirt, tight to his skin, and long, thick pants.  It was typical civilian wear, no extra pockets for scavenging or holsters for weapons, just Ori holding his notebook and waiting.

The gates to the safe house opened slowly, creaking and allowing Ori to see a sliver of the Outside, the only bit that he ever saw.  Walking forward were two bedraggled men.  They were both tall and broad, covered with dirt and blood, and smiling as they walked in.

First stepped in Thorin, his dark hair pulled back into a messy bun.  He was carrying a knife on his hip and a rifle over his shoulder.  Beside him was Dwalin, bald with a fierce beard and even fiercer eyes.  He had an axe on his belt and a shotgun on his back.  They were both dressed with thick leathers, heavy boots, and both carrying a massive bag over their shoulder.

"Your people have already collected their supplies," Thorin said by way of announcement.  "We are ready for ours."

"But first," Ori interrupted.  "We must discuss the terms of the trade."

Thorin grinned and held his head up higher.  "The Blue Mountain has chosen their spokesman wisely.  Come!  We've long held an alliance with your safe house and I'm in no hurry to break it."

"Nor am I."

Thorin walked up to Ori with a laugh and clapped him on the shoulder.  "Then this shall be easy."

Ori and Thorin sat and ate together with Dwalin standing guard.  Thorin was an easy conversationalist, making small talk concerning the roads between their safe houses.  He and Dwalin joked about how many zombies the two of them killed on their way here.

As much as he tried to focus on his conversation with Thorin, Ori couldn't help but constantly drag his eyes over to Dwalin.  He had thick, broad shoulders and a booming laugh.  He was handsome, Ori realized suddenly, sneaking glances whenever he could.

There was a thick scar that ran across his face, faded over time.  His eyes were piercing blue, hidden underneath of bushy eyebrows, but they sparkled when he laughed with Thorin.  Dwalin had thick arms and rough hands, the perfect image of someone who didn't just survive the zombies, but thrived.

Negotiations ran deep into the night and Ori used two more precious sheets of paper to catalog the finer points of their discussion.  Thorin happily signed his name with a flourish beside Ori's.  He had plans to stay with them for a few days to resupply and rest, before making the long trek back to his own safe house.  Ori led them to the home where they would be staying, furnished by Dori himself.

It wasn't much, but it was warm, safe, and protected from zombies.  Thorin grinned as Ori opened the door.  He nudged Dwalin as they walked in, taking in the small table and rickety chairs.  The couch was torn up in some places and one of the legs had a chuck torn out, but it was their comfiest one Dori could find.

"Sure beats sleeping underneath the trees," Thorin said.  "Thank you, Ori.  Your hospitality has been impeccable."

Ori flushed.  "Just doing my part.  If you need anything, just come find me."

His home wasn't far from where Thorin and Dwalin were staying, but the cool air was biting after spending hours inside.  Ori tucked himself deeper in his jacket, hands burrowing deep in the pockets as he walked.  Everyone else was heading home and a few waved to Ori as they passed by.  The last few scavengers were ushered in before curfew.  A loud bell rang minutes after and the massive doors were locked.

The Blue Mountain was officially under lock for the night.  No one enters and no one leaves until dawn.

Dori came sprinting out of the house, his breath clouding the air.  He looked frantically back and forth, eyes finally settling on Ori.

"He's not back yet," Dori ran up to Ori, grabbing him by the shoulders.  "Nori is still out there!  He said he'd be back before Thorin but he's not back yet!"

"He'll be fine," Ori said.  "He's very capable, it's hardly his first supply run,  _and_ he's with Bofur.  They probably just had to go deeper in the city than they thought."

"Ori, the city has been overrun for months now," Dori said.  "If it wasn't for Bombur's baby... I wouldn't have let Nori go at all.  It's a death trap, Ori.  If they aren't back yet..."

His entire body went numb and goosebumps rolled up and down his arms.  Ori's gut twisted and his dinner was sitting heavy like a stone.  Nori had been so jovial when he left this morning, cracking jokes with Bofur as they started their adventure to the city.  They were both very capable scavengers, some of the best.  Ori had been so nervous about meeting with Thorin, he hadn't even thought about Nori.

"We have to go after them!" Ori exclaimed.  "Why didn't someone tell me?"

"And what would you have done?  The baby needs medicine, Ori.  We couldn't have stopped them if we wanted to," Dori sighed.  "But someone does need to go after them.  I was going to grab a couple of scavengers and head out soon."

"But - the curfew - "

"They'll be dead by morning.  I'm not waiting."

"Then take me with you!  He's my brother too!"

The door to Thorin's house slammed opened and Dwalin walked out.  Ori instinctively shrunk back as Dwalin's blue eyes locked on him.  Dori straightened up and carefully placed himself half in front of Ori.

"What is going on?" he asked.

It was the first time Ori had heard him speak all night.  His voice was deep and rumbling, exactly what Ori expected.

"My brother is missing in the city," Dori explained.  "He left this morning to get medicine and hasn't come back yet.  We can't wait until morning to get him."

"You plan to break curfew?" Dwalin guessed.

"He's our brother," Ori said.

"You're not coming," Dori snapped.

"Like hell I'm not!"

"You have never been out of the safe house, Ori!  This isn't up for debate!"

"I'll take him," Dwalin rumbled.  "Dori, you should be here to take care of these people."

"But!"

"Ori is small and quick.  I can take him to the city, find your brother, and be back before dawn," Dwalin reached around and grabbed Ori by the shoulder.  "Besides, my bike won't hold you."

"I'll be fine, Dori," Ori said as Dwalin dragged him off.  "I know how to shoot.  We'll be back with Nori before you know it."

Dwalin dragged him to the back of the safe house, the opposite side of the front gates.  Dwalin kicked over a loose few panels and pushed Ori through the gap.  Dwalin slid right behind him, moving the panels back into place.  The guard on the wall turned and Ori almost gasped, but Dwalin grabbed him and pressed them against the wall.

"How long has that panel been loose?" Ori whispered.

"All safe houses have a loose panel in the back," Dwalin whispered back.  He pushed of the wall and gestured for Ori to follow.  "Smugglers use them all the time.  C'mon, the bike is out front."

Ori reached out and grabbed the back of Dwalin's jacket.  He was outside.  For the first time in his known life, Ori was outside of the safe house.  Outside the walls was the rest of the subdivision their safe house was built from.  It looked the same as inside the walls, dilapidated buildings and torn up streets.  But the Outside was dark, no lights in the streets and menacing shadows at every corner.

It was surprisingly peaceful, Ori decided.  Dwalin moved quickly around the safe house until they came up to a black motorcycle sitting outside the gates.

"How do you afford this?" Ori asked.  "Gasoline is rarer than bullets!"

"Uses less gas than a car," Dwalin said, straddling the bike.  "Useful for long trips.  Hop on."

 Ori slipped on behind Dwalin, wrapping his arms around Dwalin's waist and holding on tight.  The motorcycle purred to life beneath him and they were off.

From the stories he'd heard, Ori expected the Outside to be overrun with zombies.  His pistol was comforting on his waist and he was half expecting to see the horde ahead and have to fire.

But instead it was a quiet drive with a sliver of moonlight guiding their path.  The buildings and trees whipped past them as Dwalin gunned the engine.  Ahead of them, was a silhouette of a city.

"The city is dangerous," Dwalin explained as he weaved between the rusted cars on the road.  "Up north by Erebor, we don't have a large city, but I know the dangers of them.  More bodies, more zombies, you do the math."

"Awesome," Ori breathed.

"Is it true that you've never left the safe house?"

"Practically raised in one.  I don't remember life before the Blue Mountains and, well, Dori never let me leave.  Said I was too fragile to leave the safe house.  Better to keep me with the other civilians instead of risking me dying out with the others."

Dwalin groaned.  "You're too smart to stay inside.  You should be with the others, outside collecting intel and supplies.  You are wasted as a civilian."

Ori blushed and buried his head into Dwalin's back.

"I don't think so, but thank you."

Dwalin's bike squealed to a halt outside the city.  From here, Ori could hear the zombie groans, could smell the rotting flesh.  He gagged and slipped off the motorcycle, covering his mouth.

"You'll get used to it," Dwalin said, killing the engine.  He stepped next to Ori, pressing a hand on his back.  "When we go into the city, you stay right beside me.  Keep your gun close but don't fire unless you absolutely have to."

"What are we gonna do when we find them?" Ori asked.  "Your bike only carries two."

Dwalin pulled out one of his axes.  "We improvise.  Stay close and stay quiet.  What was your brother looking for?"

"Medicine.  One of the baby's has a fever and it hasn't broken in a week."

"Drugstore then.  Let's go."

Dwalin reached down and grabbed Ori's hand, pulling him to the city.  Ori felt his palms start to sweat and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.  The city was as dilapidated as the safe house.  The buildings had boards covering windows and open doors.  The cars were pushed to the sides of the streets, tires flattened and rims rusted.  Dead bodies were piled up on every corner, most of them in pieces with chunks of flesh taken out.

Holding back his gag, Ori felt his hand shaking in Dwalin's.  There was a growling sound that seemed to permeate the entire city - hoarse, wet growls followed by shuffling footsteps.  Zombies.

Dwalin led them through the city carefully, ducking behind buildings and keeping to the shadows.  For such a large man, Dwalin was extraordinarily silent as they walked through the city.  His steps were calculated, avoiding any shards of broken glass that would alert the horde.

They peeked around a corner at a major intersection.  Kitty-corner to where they were standing was a drugstore.  Ori grinned at the sight of the building but his elation was short lived as he saw exactly how many zombies were between them and the building.  The zombies were clambering to the drugstore, groaning and moaning and clawing at the walls.  They had bloody hands and most of them were missing body parts.

It was the stench, though, that drove Ori to hold back tears.  The sickly sweet scent of rotting flesh and the sound of shuffling bodies in the darkness of a half destroyed city was overwhelming.

"They're alive," Dwalin whispered.  "Zombies only horde by living flesh."

Ori could only whimper.  His hand was in a white-knuckled grip around Dwalin's.

Dwalin took Ori and tugged him into the building.  A set of rotten stairs led upstairs and Dwalin led him up to the second floor.  The floorboards creaked underneath of Ori and bowed underneath of his weight.  The upstairs was a small set of offices, all of them ransacked.  Dwalin breathed out heavily and pulled his hand free from Ori's death grip.  There was a huge window facing out to the intersection, giving them a perfect view of the horde beneath.

The small hallway opened up to dozens of little offices, the doors all hanging off their hinges.  Papers were strewn across the floor and the desks were over turned.  Ori picked his way through the debris, turning over the folders and papers.  This place used to be a lawfirm, Ori realized as he skimmed the paperwork.  Legal documents were torn up and stepped on all over the floor.

Interestingly enough, the computers were still here.  A few monitors were used to break the windows, but most of them remained on the floor, broken and shattered from the over turned desks.  Ori found a baseball bat underneath one of the desks, bloody and coated with hair.  Next to it was a half empty box of 9mm ammo.  Ori tucked it into his jacket.

"We're going to rescue them, aren't we?" Ori asked quietly, his throat closing around the words.

"Aye."

"How?"

Dwalin gestured with his head and Ori crept to the window.  Dwalin had his gun resting over his lap and his axe resting next to his leg.  From the height, Ori could see exactly how many zombies had mobbed the drugstore walls.  Far too many for one experienced hunter and one little brother to take on.

"Zombies come to sound.  Two scavengers likely brought on the horde, searching for medicine, laughing too loudly."

"So what do we do?"

"We make a distraction then run in while we can."

"Then won't all of us be trapped in the store?"

"Then we can make a new plan."

Ori sat down next to Dwalin and stared out at the street corner.  His brother was trapped in that building with Bofur.  It was supposed to be a simple supply run and instead they were trapped by a horde, probably convinced they would never make it out alive.  Ori had to save them, he had to.  He thought about Dwalin's motorcycle, big enough for two.

"Why did you take the motorcycle?" Ori asked.

Dwalin's hands tightened on his gun.

"You knew we were going to be four if the rescue went well.  Whey did you take a motorcycle?"

"I've done a lot of rescues in my time, most of the time they end badly.  Either for the rescuees or the rescuers."

"So who was going to die?" Ori leaned forward, squeezing Dwalin's leg.  "If you knew that half of us were going to die and only two would make it back, who was going to make it?"

"I didn't know anything," Dwalin hissed.  "In a perfect world we all make it, but this isn't perfect!  I had to be prepared for the worst."

"Who was going to die?!"

"I was!"

Ori flinched back.  Dwalin growled and looked out the window, his eyebrows pulled together pensively.

"You're small enough that you, your brother and his friend could fit on the motorcycle," Dwalin muttered.  "Someone always dies on a rescue mission, a sacrifice for the others to escape.  That is how it is."

"But... you don't even know me.  Why are you risking yourself for me?"

"I meant it," Dwalin said suddenly.  "You are wasted as a civilian.  You're strong, courageous, quick on your feet.  You didn't panic in the city, never once screamed at the carnage.  You stood your ground against Thorin and handled negotiations well.  The world needs someone like you, someone who can help rebuild civilization."

"We need you too," Ori exclaimed.  "Good, strong scavengers.  What makes you less important than me?  I don't know you well, but I want the chance to.  You're... you're everything I'm not and I would never live with myself if you died, even if it was for such a noble cause."

"Would you do it?" Dwalin asked.  "Sacrifice yourself to save someone else?  To save your brother?"

"Yes," Ori answered instantly.  "Of course I would."

"Would you die to save someone else the pain of dying alone?"

"If you're asking - "

"Would you draw away the horde with me to let your brother escape?  Save him from dying, keep me company along the way through hell?"

Ori stood up.  Something strong built up in his gut and Ori already knew his answer.  He knew the answer as soon as he slid on the motorcycle behind Dwalin.

"Gladly."

Dwalin stood up then, practically towering over Ori.  His heavy hands dropped onto Ori's shoulders and pulled him closer until they were almost nose to nose.  Ori's hands flew up as Dwalin stepped closer, resting over Dwalin's chest.  One of Dwalin's hands slid up to Ori's neck, thumb running over his neck.  Ori was stunned, suddenly, at how blue Dwalin's eyes were.

"I never thought I'd be here," Dwalin whispered.  "Sacrificing myself because of a pretty face."

Ori flushed.  "Better hurry up and kiss me before the zombies break through."

Dwalin's hands cupped Ori's face and he lifted him up to kiss him.  Ori's hands tightened against Dwalin's chest and he kissed back hard.  If this was his last night, then he was going to take as much as he could.  Dwalin pulled away too soon and Ori tried to chase after him.

"We have to go now," Dwalin whispered.

Ori kissed him again.

There was a phrase, one that Ori didn't really understand until he was running down the street, hollering at Nori about the motorcycle and being chased by a horde of zombies.  His gun was nearly empty and the baseball bat he picked up in the offices was dripping blood.  Dwalin shouted as the horde growled and they ran deeper into the city.

When you go through hell, keep walking.


	4. The Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This directly correlates with The Erebor Pirates, which, coincidentally, was inspired by Dwori week 1.
> 
> Creativity is a circle.

Time had been good to Dwalin and Ori.  After the great battle for Erebor, they settled and become respectable people.  Dwalin mastered the docks with efficiency while Ori ran a little shop in the harbor.  The years passed like an ocean breeze and the world changed around them.  Thorin made amends with Bilbo.  Little Frodo went on his own adventure and young Gimli came home as a hero hand in hand with Legolas.

But soon, the grim reality of time started to settle in.

Dwalin's bad knee only got worse and he had to leave the docks in the capable hands of Tryas, a sailor he had take under his wing.  Ori's hair had grown silver-gray and his face was lined and brown.  After selling the shop, Ori spent most of his spare time on the beach, toes in the water and eyes distant.  When Dwalin could manage it, he hobbled down to the beach to sit beside his husband.

"Another funeral?" Dwalin guessed, stretching his legs and groaning at the ache.

"Bifur's," Ori whispered.  "Bofur is beside himself.  I... I should be there."

"Dain is probably going soon," Dwalin mentioned.  "His cough is getting worse."

Ori leaned up against Dwalin.  "We're getting old, my love.  The world is changing and the kids are all grown.  Soon enough, we will go the way of the ocean."

The ocean rose over the beach, washing over Dwalin's feet.  Ori kicked his feet in the foam.  He sighed and buried his face in Dwalin's shoulder.

"I'm ready to die," Ori said, his voice heavy over the ocean air.  "Our time is over and I'm ready to go."

"Then let's go," Dwalin achingly stood up, hauling up Ori with him.  "Mother Ocean gave us life, she can take it away."

"Are you certain?" Ori asked, his hands clinging to Dwalin's.  They were knobby, the papery skin soft and stretched over Ori's bones and knuckles.  Dwalin pressed those hands to his lips.

"Darling, I've never been more certain of anything."

Ori's eyes lit up and Dwalin's chest constricted.  He was still so beautiful, the same gorgeous merman Dwalin fell in love with so many years ago.  Ori pulled back from Dwalin, carefully leading him into the ocean.  The water splashed up to their knees and still Ori tugged him deeper to the sea.

When the water was up to their chests, Ori stopped.  The water was warm on this night, soothing as it wrapped around Dwalin's body.  The ocean had always been Dwalin's home, from when he sailed as a child to when he joined Thorin into piracy, to when he gave it up to save the man he loved.  The sea twisted around them, pushing them closer together.

The moonlight reflected across the ocean waves, glittering like diamonds.  Ori seemed to glow and sparkle in the ocean.  This is where Ori was always meant to in the ocean, he was supposed to be in the water, swimming in the sea forever.  Yet he had given it up out of love for Dwalin, just as Dwalin gave up his life at sea to save Ori.

"Remember when we first met?" Ori whispered.  "I thought you were going to kill me on the ship."

"I could never forget.  You were so brave, climbing on a pirate ship.  I think I fell in love a little bit."

"I know I did."

Dwalin cupped Ori's face in his hands and lifted him up for a kiss.  Soft, tender and gentle.  Ori sighed into it, his frail hands clasping against Dwalin's chest.  The ocean swelled and Dwalin felt the water splash up to his neck.  The tide was coming in.

They always knew this was how they would go.  This had been the plan ever since Ori was brought back.  When their time was up, they would go back to the ocean, back to where they belonged.

Entwined together, the ocean crashed over their heads.  The sea was as unforgiving as Dwalin had always remembered, pushing and pulling at him, cold and unyielding.  He clung to Ori, who was clinging to him just as tight.  Dwalin felt his lungs tighten as the need for oxygen grew.  Instead of breathing, Dwalin only kissed Ori harder, deeper.  He felt like a young pirate again, swimming in the reef with his merman lover.

His vision went black and spotty and Dwalin desperately wanted to breathe.  He could feel Ori trembling in his arms.

The sea was merciless and, as Dwalin felt himself start to lose consciousness, he tightened his grip around his husband.

 

He blinked his eyes open rapidly.  Dwalin was in a cave, rather large and glowing with a blue luminescence.  He was partially submerged in a pond and the water cast strange shapes across the cave ceilings and walls.  The sound of splashing water echoed in the cave and Dwalin shifted.

The ache in his knee was gone, so was the heaviness in his chest and he felt hair down the back of his neck.  Dwalin pushed himself up and stared down at his hands.  Strong, thick hands, not the knotted, feeble hands he'd seen before.  He was back at his prime, back to the pirate who sailed against Smaug and Azog.

"Are you gonna keep staring?" a familiar voice spoke.  The sound echoed and resonated in the cave and Dwalin turned to the splashing and the voice.

It was Ori with his honey blonde hair and sparkling eyes.  He was peeking out of the water and his lavender tail splashed heavily in the cave.  There were no lines on his face, no wrinkles down his arms and his hands were smooth and strong.

"Is this..."

"The afterlife?  Yeah," Ori splashed the water again.  "Well, almost.  You get to make a decision.  Mother Ocean already explained it to me.  You can either go outside the cave and join the other humans in their afterlife.  That's where Thorin would go, and Bilbo and Dis.  But if you come with me, through the water, you'd be in my afterlife.  Dori's already there, and so is Bifur."

"Why do I have a choice?" Dwalin asked.

Ori came closer and reached out grab onto Dwalin's leg.

"Because your soul is bound with mine," Ori said.  "The ritual didn't just make me human, it tied our souls together.  And now you can choose where you want to go."

Dwalin took Ori's hand in his, laced their fingers together and kissed his hand.  Ori's hand was soft, smooth, a little salty against Dwalin's lips, just how he remembered from when he was younger.

"I'll go with you," Dwalin said.

Ori grinned and fell back into the water, dragging Dwalin with him.  The sea closed over him and Dwalin knew he was home.


End file.
